Tour of Lincoln Cemetery Saturday

In honor of Memorial Day, a cemetery tour will take place in the historic Lincoln graveyard Saturday.

Sandy James, instructional coordinator of the Lincoln Historic Site, will give a guided tour beginning at 2 p.m. of some of the famous people buried there.

"Cemeteries are interesting to me since they connect the past to the present," James said. "What I talk about are the symbols and styles of the gravestones, but I really focus on the life stories. Each individual story lives on after they die and these stories make up the community."

Those who are buried there range from participants in the Lincoln County War, such as Ignacio Salazar, to contemporary patrons and denizens of Lincoln, such as Gaylord Freeman.

The styles of gravestones vary as well, from simple rocks to granite headstones. At least 169 people are buried in the cemetery. All the lots have been sold and burials have ceased, but the history continues on.

According to James, almost all of the headstones were the work of Bob Berkshire, an itinerant stone carver who arrived in Lincoln in the 1880s.

The tour is free. If participants wish to visit Lincoln Historic Site museums, the fee is $5 for adults. There is no fee for children 16 and under and veterans. Tickets for the museums can be purchased at the visitor center or Courthouse Museum.

Lincoln Cemetery is located at the east end of Lincoln, approximately one half mile east of the visitor center along Highway 380.

For more information, contact the Lincoln Historic Site Visitor Center at 575-653-4025.